Telangana to seek GI tag for four products

CII also gearing up to file GI for Chapata chilli, turmeric, lacquered bangles and custard apple which have good market potential

Hyderabad: Continuing its efforts to create a market for local products, the Telangana IP Facilitation Centre set up by Telangana government and industry body CII, is now gearing up to file geographical indication for four more products- Chapata chilli (Warangal), turmeric (Nizamabad), lacquered bangles (Hyderabad) and custard apple (Balanagar). Application for one more product, red gram (Tandur), was filed last year.

“The four products identified now have good market potential. We will identify more products. In all, Telangana already has secured 15 GIs. The GIs can be a key tool for the one district one product programme,” said Subhajit Saha, CII Telangana head and director.

Pochampalli Ikat was the first GI for the State (erstwhile Andhra Pradesh) and fourth in the country. Out of the 15 GIs now, 12 have been filed by the Centre. Except for Hyderabad Haleem (which got the GI tag food) all are for handicrafts.

“We are now putting thrust on agricultural GIs like Tandur redgram, Nizamabad turmeric, Warangal Chapata chilli and Balanagar custard apple,” he said. Apart from that, lacquered bangles of Hyderabad have a strong case as there is documentation that says the lacqured bangles have been made in Hyderabad several centuries ago.

“Earlier, the thrust was to get the GI registration done. Now, the focus is on overcoming the challenges in marketing, branding, promotion and enforcement,” he said adding that an exclusive GI Store and GI museum are proposed in Hyderabad.

Efforts are being made to get these GI certified products on to e-commerce portals. Amazon too has signed up with 18 States including Telangana to sell and procure GI products and put them as a separate search category for the customers. There are already some sites like shoppingcart24.com and Gocoop that sell only GI registered products, Saha said adding that product diversification and use of digital channels are key to increasing the demand.

GI applications were earlier filed for Hyderabad biryani and Hyderabad pearls. “Biryani was not pursued properly. It is now a generic product. For pearls, we do not have a history, which is mandatory for GI,” he said.

Key features

Chapata chillies

A Warangal speciality, this is green capsicum which once dried, turns red. It has a unique sweet fragrance and rich taste with deep red colour pods. It is one of the sweetest chillies. Pickle makers are key buyers and had demand from central India. Some of them find their way to Japan and Korea as well. Just about 15,000 tonne is cultivated.

Turmeric

Turmeric produced in Nizamabad is known for quality. Turmeric from this area accounts for about 8 to 10 per cent of the total turmeric production in the world. It sees international demand.

Laquered bangles

The laq bangles are synonymous with Hyderabad. Lac bangles made in Laad Bazaar attract local buyers as well as tourists. In bright colours and embellishments, lac bangles are must have fashion accessories for many. They are also known for their intricate detailing. It is said lac bangles have been made since the 15th century in our region.

Custard apple (Balanagar) is known for its size and sweetness.

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